History

Tbilisi- (literally “Warm Spring”)
is the capital and largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt’k’vari
River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form of T’pilisi

and was
officially known as Tiflis until 1936. The city covers an area of 726 km²
(280.3 square miles) and has 1,480,000 inhabitants.

According to an
old legend, the present-day territory of Tbilisi was covered by forests. One
day King Vakhtang I Gorgasali of Georgia went hunting with a falcon (sometimes
the falcon

is replaced with
either a hawk or other small birds of prey in the legend). The King’s falcon
allegedly caught or injured a pheasant during the hunt, after which both birds
fell into a

nearby hot
spring and died from burns. King Vakhtang became so impressed with the hot
springs that he decided to cut down the forest and build a city on the
location. The name Tbilisi derives from the Old Georgian word “Tpili”, meaning
warm. The name ‘Tbilisi’ (‘warm location’) was therefore given to the city
because of the area’s numerous sulfuric hot springs.

Nowadays Tbilisi
is a significant industrial, social, and cultural centre. The city is also
emerging as an important transit route for global energy and trade projects.
Located strategically at the crossroads between Europe and Asia and lying along
the historic Silk Road, Tbilisi has often been a point of contention between
various rival powers and empires. The history of the city can be seen by its
architecture, where the Haussmannized Rustaveli Avenue and downtown are blended
with the narrower streets of the medieval Narikala district.